For cinephile nights under the starry sky of Larisa, Greece, go to the summer cinema Cine Mylos.

I am a cinephile and as often as i can, i go to the cinema, in order to feel, first handed, the magic of the big screen. It is a beautiful relationship that started in my childhood and still stands strong. Besides that, cinema has a special charm that doesn’t decay as time passes.
I have seen countless projections, countless movies, whose stories come to life on the white screen, in front of my illuminated eyes, due to the projectors light. Either it is a preview in one of the big, modern multiplexes, or in a small regional cinema, for me the value is the same. Especially, during summertime, the summer cinemas are highly preferred among the chinephiles, not only for the charm of the big screen they offer, but also for the coolness of the summer nights. I went to one of those summer cinemas, the last time i visited my family in Larisa and honestly, it had been a while.

Cine Mylos

The summer cinema Cine Mylos is located in the neighborhood of Tabakika in Larisa, Greece, right behind the regional bus station, in Georgiadou street.

It occupies a small portion of the yard of the Mylos of Pappa ( Pappa’s Mill ). For those who don’t know the Mylos of Pappa was covering the city’s needs for flour since 1883, when it was built. Nowadays the famous 5 storey building, as well as the rest of the surrounding facilities, form an important center of civilization and arts in the city of Larisa. There, among the theater of Larisa and the homonym music stage, lies the only summer cinema of the city. The distance between the Frourio ( castle ) district, that is the epicenter of nightlife, is relatively small, thus it worths walking all the way to the cinema.

As you pass through the main gate of the complex, walk on the beautifully decorated paved yard, and head to the upper right part of the main building. There lies the Cine Mylos.

The cinema

The preview was scheduled for 22:00, however i went with my friends a bit earlier, in order to pick better seats. The price of the ticket was only 4 Euros, an amount of money i consider fairly low for such a high level of entertainment. You see it is not only the movie you are going to see that is highly valued, but also the whole experience, from the friends with whom you are together, to the feeling that it offers, right above the starry sky. When we arrived we easily found available seats, as only a couple of companies were already there. We sat on the yellow, comfortable, director’s type of chairs and immediately i started checking the facility.

The cinema had this minimal aesthetic, typical to that of the summer cinemas, that more or less the most of us have visited. A corridor made of cement was dividing the cinema in two parts, each of which had 11 rows of seats, thus rising the number of the spectators a bit above the 200. The seats were placed on gravel, which reminded me of other old summer cinemas, many year ago! I would say that the use of gravel, instead of any other material, is one of those distinctive elements that define the summer cinemas and that forms a significant memory for all the cinephiles.

Some of the seats had small tables among them, which were ideal for placing some refreshments or snack. You can get them from the canteen inside the cinema, which prices ( water and orange juice i bought ) were normal. On the front there was the main stage, with the white screen, illuminated by the headlights, ready to start projecting the movie. Around the cinema, thick ivy was covering the interior walls, creating a nice environment, an oasis in the center of the urban cityscape.

The projection

Slowly slowly, people started gathering and truly i was astonished by their true love for the summer cinema and their support! Every week, every day, cinephile movies attract lots of people who seek a beautiful way of entertainment, an escape to the hot nocturnal Larisa. At 22:00 the lights switched off and immediately i heard the distinctive sound of the old projectors, as the film reel starts rolling. After a while the screen lighted up and a trembling image gave life to the cinema. Memories from the very first time i visited a summer cinema in my childhood, started coming to my mind, there in the black of the night, under the light of the stars and the shifting movie scenes. There away from the air conditioned multiplexes and the perfect projectors, there with a trembling image and the continuous, distinctive sound being heard in the background of the dialogues and the music theme. Nostalgic moments that travels us back in older years, amazing years.

The movie

The Italian film industry has offered us some of the most unforgettable moments, thus the anticipation for the night’s movie was great. The movie that Cine Mylos was previewing was called “The mafia kills only in summer” ( La mafia uccide solo d’estate ) and it was produced in 2013. It was a black comedy that was taking place in Palermo, Sicily. There, through the eyes of young Arturo, we watch, as he grows up, various historic events that have marked Palermo’s society and had to do with the Mafia. From the second Mafia war to the brutal assassination of the judges Falcone and Bosrcelino.

Photo source: wdonna.it

Young Arturo is trying to express his love to his classmate Flora, as time passes, in modern Italy of prime minister’s Giulio Andreotti and mafia’s boss Toto Riina. We liked the film so much! Classic Italian cinema, beautiful comedy reliefs and a retro aesthetic that always brings in our minds a nostalgia for the past. Make sure you see it, because i truly believe it is one of those beautiful movies that you have to see.

According many people, the summer cinemas are dead, acting only as memories and relics of the past. However their magic is not lost, it stands in time! Support the summer cinemas and enjoy cool cinephile nights under the stars. Your summers will become more beautiful and your night will gain a nostalgic scent, like in the past, when the summer cinemas starred….

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